Video Card Ati Vpu Error Issue?

Where to start, well, i'm actually at work now, so i can't give you the exact specs of my PC but it basically goes like this

- 3.0 GHz Intel Processor
- 256 MB ATI x600 pro video card (PCI Express)
- Intel motherboard
- Soundblaster Live! 24-bit sound card
- 80 GB Hardrive
- 1 GB memory
- Windows XP home edition SP2 (it should be latest version)

So here's the problem, I've been researching it for some time and keep comming up with the same solutions but none of them work for me so i would love some innovative input , thanks in advance!!

Ok so bassically i'll be sitting there, not necessarily using a lot of anything, maybe Firefox, AIM, and itunes with maybe Auto-CAD or something else, but not even coming close to what my computer should be able to handle. then sudenly everything locks up (even the mouse) and after a second or two the screen goes blank. THen everything comes back and looks fine, but along with the error message, which i can't duplicate exactly at the moment, but goes something like "VPU Recover: VPU recover has reset your graphics accelorator as it was no longer taking commands." Also note that at this point, even the simplest window has a tail and every process lags the most i have ever seen.

So now that you know as much as i do about the problem, here are some things that i've tried
- Updated Motherboard chipsets to latest models (also tried older ones)
- Updated Video drivers to latest versions including latest version of catalyst
- aslo used ATI tool to completely remove all ati drivers and software, then started from origninal drivers from ATI CD, then tried updateing to older ATI drivers
- Thought it might be overheating, so i tried using the computer without the side pannel for a while, which seemed to have no effect on the frequency that this occurs, (which varries greatly from a few times a day to once a week or longer if i'm lucky)
- also turning VPU recover off = not a good idea
- I've also tried contacting ATI technologies, however that was probably dumber than turning off VPU rocover haha


so things i'm thinking may have to do with compatibility issues between my intel motherboard and this particular model ATI card, (if you've every heard of such a thing) also i'm not eliminating the possibility of overheating, however unlikely. but really, my ideas are running on empty, so really any input would be greatly appreciated from anyone, experienced or n00b. Thanks a lot

Can you try a different video card as a test?

well, not exactly, the only other video cards i have access to are AGP and my motherboard doesn't support AGP, however, i have tried the integrated video on the motherboard, and that works flawlesly, however i don't believe it has the power that i desire to use it all the time, and another thing that i didn't mention above (because the error happens regardless) is that i have a dual monitor setup, which i would like to keep and my motherboard integrated video does not support.

P.S. Thanks for responding so quickly

Heat, bad power supply and RAM are the most frequesnt causes of lockups.

Ok, Well, i have a kick ass PSU and the case is Huge and well ventalated. and as it just happened to me again, i checked the heat by placing my hand all around the case, and it was roughly room temperature, very little if any heat, and the fan on the video card itself works fine, so according to you, ram would be the next bet, how do i check to see if it's bad, and for the record, it's less than a year old, so what could cause it to go bad?? I appreciate your input!!

A kick ass power supply? Have you checked the current on the 12v rail/ WHat make and wattage? A cheap, no-name 600w is frequently a poorer solution than a quality name brand 350w. You do indeed get what you pay for.

Ventilation and temps? Do you have an objective way to measure temps, either in the BIOS, or with a utility like Everest Home? http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

What if you remove the side of the case and blow a fan directly in there? Does that make any difference in lockups with intense applications? feeling the case does not really monitor air flow.

Free test for your RAM at www.memtest86.com

Test each stick at a time, then all together. Run the test for an hour or so with each configuration.

Has it always been this way or did it just start happening? Do you haave the latest drivers for your video card/ Is this related somehow? Do you have another video card you could test with?

Let us know what you find.

You could try re-seating the video card too.